Second Annual Spring Faculty Celebration Honors Achievements and Decades of Service
The spring faculty celebration held in Lubin Dining Hall on June 3, honored faculty for their achievements and contributions to the College of Medicine during the last academic year, including endowed chair and emeritus appointments, years-of-service milestones, and faculty awards recognizing excellence in research, teaching, mentorship, service, and community engagement.
Liise-anne Pirofski, M.D. and Yaron Tomer, M.D.
“This event is a testament to the dedication, innovation, and leadership that our faculty bring to Einstein every day as educators, researchers, clinicians, mentors, and colleagues,” said Yaron Tomer, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean at Einstein and chief academic officer at Montefiore Einstein. “While we are here to recognize specific awardees, I want to acknowledge all our faculty. Every one of you contributes to shaping the future of medicine and science. Your work has a lasting impact on our students, trainees, patients, and colleagues, and you do not need an award to make a profound difference at Einstein.”
Congratulations to the Awardees
Dean’s Award Excellence in Faculty Mentoring, Liise-anne Pirofski, M.D., chief, division of infectious diseases, department of medicine and Selma and Dr. Jacques Mitrani Chair in Biomedical Research. Dr. Pirofski was recognized for providing outstanding mentorship and contributing substantially to the success of faculty. According to nominator Johanna Dailey, M.D., M.S, “Dr. Pirofski’s mentorship is individualized, strategic, and deeply invested in each faculty member’s long-term success.”
Shanye Yin, Ph.D.
Dean’s Award Rising Star Scientific Investigator, Shanye Yin, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology. Dr. Yin was recognized as an outstanding early-career investigator with significant accomplishments in biomedical research. “Dr. Yin has acted as a “force multiplier” since his arrival at Einstein, having established multiple collaborations that have significantly advanced spatial analysis of tumors with the goal of improving classification systems for histologic diagnosis and the prediction of outcomes,” said nominator Louis Weiss, M.D., M.P.H.
Mimi Kim, Sc.D. and Yaron Tomer, M.D.
Dean’s Award Institutional Service, Mimi Kim, Sc.D., division head, biostatistics, department of epidemiology & population health and director, Data Science Institute. Dr. Kim was recognized for her exemplary institutional service and contributions to Einstein’s mission of education, research, and academic enrichment. “Dr. Kim’s career at Einstein has been distinguished not only by extraordinary scholarly accomplishment, but also by sustained, high-impact service that has shaped the institution’s research enterprise, strengthened its academic infrastructure, and advanced its national standing in clinical and translational science,” wrote nominator Jessica Kahn, M.D., M.P.H.
Alyson Moadel-Robblee, Ph.D., and Yaron Tomer, M.D.
Dean’s Award Community Service, Alyson Moadel-Robblee, Ph.D., division head, health behavior research & implementation science, department of epidemiology & population health, founding director, Bronx Oncology Living Daily, and deputy director of community outreach & engagement, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Moadel-Robblee was recognized for her contributions to community service, improving health and well-being beyond the institution. Shalom Kalnicki, M.D. nominated Dr. Moadel-Robblee, commenting “The psychosocial oncology program [developed by Dr. Moadel-Robblee] is not only the most valuable resource for oncology patients and their caregivers but entirely fulfills Einstein’s core mission of exemplary community service, allied to teaching and research.”
Richard Kitsis, M.D. and Yaron Tomer, M.D.
Saul R. Korey Prize for Translational Science and Medicine, Richard N. Kitsis, M.D., professor of medicine and of cell biology, The Dr. Gerald and Myra Dorros Chair in Cardiovascular Disease, and director, Wilf Family Cardiovascular Research Institute. The Korey award honors Einstein faculty for excellence in translational research and is named after Dr. Saul Korey, a distinguished neuroscientist, laboratory investigator, and founding chair of the Montefiore Einstein department of neurology. Dr. Kitsis was recognized for pioneering the cardiac cell death field and driving it forward for the last 25 years. In addition to his heart-focused work, he has made important discoveries pertaining to the fundamental biology of cell death.
Victoria Freedman, Ph.D.
Einstein Award for Distinguished Leadership in Academic Medicine, Victoria Freedman, Ph.D., associate dean for graduate programs in biomedical sciences and assistant professor of microbiology & immunology. Dr. Freedman, who will retire in July, was recognized for her decades of leadership in the graduate division and her commitment to Einstein’s graduate students preparing hundreds for successful careers in science.
Posted on: Monday, June 22, 2026